The Evolved Leader

Say yes, and your life will improve. If you have seen Yes Man with Jim Carrey, you might have garnered this lesson already. But that is only one lesson of dozens that Bob Kodzis drops in this episode. He's a performer, instructor, facilitator and consultant, or truly – whatever he wants to be.

Aaron LeClair values transparency, openness and relationships with people above all else. So what to do, when he finds himself in an organization asking him to go against those values? In this episode, we talk about his experience in this space, what he learned, and we even dive into an example of this misalignment that included yours truly.

In this episode, I welcome back Gabriela Buich to the show, and we give a peek "behind the curtain" and describe what it is like for the two of us – experts in self-awareness and communication – to work together. We share our own insecurities, and how our loving, trusting relationship enables incredible openness and self-accountability, and I finally share the story I alluded to in the episode with CEO Topcoder Mike Morris.

Gene McCulley's company was growing without intention, and when the company culture began to fragment, he wanted to invest in making it as strong and positive as possible. When it seemed a harder challenge than he realized, he began to consider selling off part of the business to solve that and other challenges related to growth. Listen now to hear his story!

In this episode I speak with Jason Polstein about how he applied self-accountability as a concept inside his organization in the face of major loss. He also describes how growth mindset has changed his language and how staying open to possibilities preserves brainpower. We end with discussion of how Star Trek and Neil deGrasse Tyson changed how he thinks about how he communicates.

Kayla participated in our 5-day workshop focused on self-awareness and its impact on leadership, productivity and fulfillment at work. We talk about how being too nice is a defense mechanism that manifests the very fear that drives the behavior, as well as how behaviors are intergenerational and learned and how conscious choices can create meaningful change in how we walk through the world.

Colby Shytle was struggling with dark thoughts and anxiety like he'd never experienced before. He reached out for help, looking for tools to change the way he was walking through the world. And because he was open to it, his experience with The Human Element enabled him to transform in a moment. Just as a ship captain decides to change the course in a moment, a human can transform in a moment, so that every step forward after that moment is in a new direction.

We've rebranded the company which means we're rebranding the show! Kayla and I chat about why we decided to rebrand our company and what the new name is all about. She also asks me about the origin of the business – why I started the company and why I chose to leave an exciting career at NASA (and Disney!) to do my own thing. We talk about the genesis of our core values, Progress over perfection, Uninhibited Teamwork, and Power of Choice, all of which came from the Human Element® and Radical CollaborationTM programs.

In this episode, originally recorded back in 2014 (release is early 2018), Laura describes one of her most emotional experiences from early adulthood that shaped her self-concept and was the catalyst for her to look deeper into true authenticity and taught the importance of self-acceptance.

In this episode, I speak with Mike Morris, CEO of Topcoder. Topcoder has grown and seen tremendous success, yet Mike knows the team is capable of even more. We talk about creating peer-to-peer accountability on the team, the importance of looking in the mirror, and how critical it is to let go of predispositions about people, and instead – believe in their ability to learn and grow.